Assalam-o-Alaikum Honda Vezel Hybrid owners/fans and fellow Pakwheelers. After encouragement and support from you guys and making Vezel's first thread on PW a great success https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/members-member-rides/245393-its-vezel-time-alhamdolillah , it's time to finally unveil the official Honda Vezel Hybrid owners/fan club thread on Pakwheels.Now, when Hawkzel arrived in January this year, she was one of the very few in the whole country. But I had faith that Almighty will reaffirm my passion of cars and many others will follow suit. My confidence was not out of proportion or an illusion as I knew that Vezel had everything going for her in our market's future. In an era where Honda Atlas and Toyota Indus are going down on quality as compared to their previous generations, with depreciating yen and slashed duty structure on hybrids, it was just a matter of time before Vezels started roaming and zipping around on our streets and surely they have begun to. At the time of this writing, I can confirm 21 owners of Honda Vezel Hybrid in Lahore alone. The total number of owners has gone past 100 within last 3 months Now, for those who don't know about this car, or who might be considering it or for newlyweds with vezel, let's shed some light on its brief history, trims and features.

Concept

In automotive world, everything starts with a concept. And this time, it was a new design category that came into being "CROSSOVER" as they called it. Crossover for the fact it uses two platforms. Like Vezel is a crossover built on Honda FIT/ Jazz platform but takes design clues of CRV. Size and space wise vezel is smaller than CRV but larger than FIT/ Jazz. Also the ride height is more which make it look like a SUV. Nissan Juke as well as the new Mazda CX3 all compete in this segment.

If you go on higher end models Audi Q3, Mercedes GLA are crossovers on A3 sedan and CLA sedan platforms respectively.

Sales of Honda Vezel Hybrid started in japan on 20[SUP]th[/SUP] December 2013. By the end of First quarter of 2014, it had already broken into top 10 selling cars in Japan. As of June/July 2014 it entered top 5 most selling cars in Japan.

I will try my best to share as much information regarding vezel as possible. Fellow owners, fans and car enthusiasts are requested to join in and lets make Vezel even more popular as it truly deserves to be the Hybrid King of Pakistan

R e a c t i v e F o r c e P e d a lAssists during driving by responding to the force of your foot on the accelerator pedal.H o w I t W o r k sC h a n g i n g S e t t i n g sAdjust the pedal force level.You can also change these settings using themulti-information display.1. Press SETTINGS. Use theinterface dial to make andenter selections.2. Select Vehicle Settings.3. Select Reactive Force Pedal.4. Select one of the options.Low: Less pedal feedbackand natural accelerationfeeling.High: More pedal feedback.5. Press BACK to exit the menu.• When you press the accelerator pedal, the system can provide slightresistance to prevent you from applying excessive throttle to the accelerator.Usually, the feedback is unnoticeable while driving.• As a result, this can yield better fuel efficiency and provide traction controlwhile driving on slippery roads.• The system also can provide slight resistance through the accelerator duringoperation of Forward Collision Warning or the CollisionMitigation Braking System.• Reactive force pedal is off in Sport mode.

BackgroundBefore beginning hunt for my next vehicle, I finalized the maximum amount I could spend and the range bracket came out to be 3.0-3.4 million PKR. I started out by setting certain pre requisites; it had to be JDM, it had to be 2013 or higher model with no more than 25k on odometer and it had to be 5A grade or higher. After a detailed survey, I shortlisted the following options;1. Toyota Prius 3rd Gen S Touring Package 2013-142. Toyota Prius Alpha S Touring Package 2013-143. Nissan Juke 20144. Lexus Ct 200 2013-145. Toyota Allion/Premio 1.5 L 20146. Mitsubishi RVR 2012-137. Mitsubishi Galant fortis 20138. Nissan Sylphy 20129. Mazda Axela 201410. Honda Vezel Hybrid (2014)

Making the right call wasn’t easy. Apart from Prius, Lexus CT and Juke, I had not experienced any other car out of these options. So in reality, it was going to be judgment call and to many, a risk. But after careful workup, my mind and heart was set upon Honda Vezel Hybrid 2014.

IntroductionWhen Honda’s previous hybrid technology of IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) failed to live up to their expectations and couldn’t really compete with arch rival Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive in sales, Honda Japan launched its new series of hybrid engines in 2013. Honda Fit hybrid, Honda Grace Hybrid and Honda Vezel Hybrid, all utilize this latest sports hybrid technology and design offered by Honda in japan with Earth Dreams Engine Series.Now, AlhamdoLillah, after having owned and driven Vezel in various conditions for almost a week, here are my detailed personal impressions about this car for all who are or might be interested.

DESIGN

ExteriorCome 2014, come the era of modern automotive design category; Compact crossovers. Terminology based on the fact that these cars take designing clues from other vehicles above and below their category and try to fill in the gap which had always been there from a design perspective. Honda Vezel Hybrid is based upon Honda Fit Hybrid and Honda CR-V. And boy have they done a remarkable job here. Are these SUV’s? Technically no. Are these Sedans or compact hatchback? Nope. They are just compact crossovers. That’s the end of it. And their recent global acceptance is a testimony to the fact that they are here to stay.Pros Honda Vezel Hybrid 2104 has perfection written all over it when a car enthusiast analyzes its exterior. The front is beautiful. Grill, bonnet, bumper, headlights, fenders, every inch of designing detail is a beauty to behold. The back is equally good if not better with LED lights. Most of all, as a package, the road presence is spectacular and surely a head turner. In its class, maybe only Mazda CX-3 is able to compete with Honda Vezel in designing.Cons16 inch alloys with 60 profile tires maybe practical but also the weak link in its exterior as well. They simply don’t do justice. Although the top Z trim does offer 17 inch alloys and seem more appropriate.

InteriorProsThe moment you open Vezel’s door and step in, you can’t help but feel that you’re sitting in a car worth way more. There is no doubt as to why it is categorized as a premier luxury vehicle in Japan. The front panel, steering wheel, door panels and arm rest all have high class leather stitched finish. There’s an all touch climate control panel. The meter, I-MID and gear lever all beautifully designed. Nice chrome finish around speakers and AC vents. LED cabin roof lights come standard. When you look at the seat fabric and floor mats, you realize how much detail went in selection of materials and overall aesthetics of Vezel’s interior. Leg space and overall cabin space is great and it’s a proper 5 seater. Honda’s magic seat system comes in real handy when one wants even more space for cargo and stuff. All in all, Vezel’s interior design fuses together the personal feel of a coupe and the comfort of a minivan at a high level.ConsThe only thing I’ve noticed is that the piano finish around the gear console is a bit prone to micro scratches and swirls.

ENGINE

Honda Vezel Hybrid is equipped with a 1.5 L direct-injection engine from Honda’s Earth Dreams Series. It has Intelligent Dual Clutch Transmission with paddle shifters. This combines with a powerful Li ion battery (placed beneath the rear seats) which powers the single motor. Combine these 2 and you’ll get 152 Hp with 0-100 time of just under 8 seconds. It’s extremely fuel efficient at the same time and one can achieve city mileage of 20kmpl with ease in Econ Mode. Many people are wary of the fact that Vezel might be underpowered, but what people don’t realize is that it only weighs 1180 kg (almost 100kg lighter than Civic) and therefore you get great weight to power ratio and exhilarating torque.

DRIVE

This is arguably, the most important aspect in a driving machine. It could be beautiful and have all the perks, but if it doesn’t drive well, then that’s a serious drawback. Fortunately, for Honda, Vezel passes the drive test with flying colors. From first gear, it is smooth as silk in acceleration, steering control and handling. The shift between electric and hybrid modes is seamless once in motion. Road grip and handling around corners is a joy to experience and traction control can be used as an option to make one feel even more secure. One thing which is hallmark of truly great luxury machines is their sound proofing and Vezel doesn’t disappoint here either. At 140kmph, I couldn’t hear any road or outside noise. The sleek beams on driver’s sides are very well placed and limit the issue of blind spots very efficiently. Civic PKDM 9[SUP]th[/SUP] gen owners can verify how risky and annoying this issue can be. Anti-Lock Brakes with EBD do their job as they should and make you feel completely in control of the machine. Auto Brake Hold function is a great innovation and blessing in local traffic as you don’t have to keep pressing the brake or shift to neutral while short stops in city. City collision assist is handy.

ConsIf I really have to point out something I’d say the first gear switch between EV and Hybrid could be even smoother. Having said that it’s more like an idealistic demand which I’m sure in time would soon become realistic with future hybrid technologies on the horizon.

VERDICTThe all new Honda Vezel Hybrid is a winner all the way. Its practicality makes it evenly attractive to younger generation as well as family people looking for a comfortable daily ride. With the options at our disposal in this price range, Vezel is surely a complete standout and value for money. Overall 9/10(Available in 3 trims; Hybrid, Hybrid X and Hybrid Z and option of AWD as well)

@pistonhead .. well if you can afford then surely vezel is complete value for money.. costing of top of the line falling below or around 3.1 million at the moment.. and base model can be had for under 3 million at the moment .. considering price difference of 20 percent from new civic and altis, it's definitely twice the vehicle as compared to those if not even better

@pistonhead .. well if you can afford then surely vezel is complete value for money.. costing of top of the line falling below or around 3.1 million at the moment.. and base model can be had for under 3 million at the moment .. considering price difference of 20 percent from new civic and altis, it's definitely twice the vehicle as compared to those if not even better

plus it give twice the km range of civic n more power than civic as well

Thanks. That was the aim. Took quite a bit of time but i think this is how i wanted it to be so that maximum benefit and information could be passed on in limited space and others can contribute as well